Pork is one of the foods that Allah makes unlawful in the Qur’an. A true Muslim will demonstrate determination in abiding by Allah’s commands and prohibition even if he is unaware of the wisdom behind them. But if Allah so wills He can also show us the wisdom behind the things He has prohibited. The recent rapid rise in cases of swine flu, a lethal disease, is one of the reasons why the eating of pork is unlawful.

Swine flu is a disease caused by the virus “H1N1” and can be passed from person to person through the air. Like the flu virus in human beings, the swine flu virus constantly changes in pigs. Pigs’ respiratory passages contain receptors that are sensitive to viruses such as swine, human and bird flu. For that reason, pigs increase the possibility of new viruses emerging in the event they are transmitted simultaneously. The A/H1N1 virus, a combination of human, swine and bird flu viruses, only appears in the receptors in pigs’ respiratory passages; in other words, pigs serve as hosts for viruses to combine together in.

Bugun, 28 April 2009

As has already been stated, pigs’ respiratory passages play the main role in the emergence of this dangerous disease. That is just one of the reasons behind Allah’s prohibiting the consumption of pork. There are many other pieces of wisdom behind Allah’s making the consumption of pork unlawful. Some of these may be set out as follows:

Pork contains high levels of sulfur

Since pork contains high levels of sulfur, when it is eaten a large amount of sulfur is absorbed by the body. Excessive amounts may lead to various diseases, such as joint infections when it accumulates in cartilage, muscle and nerves, calcification and hernia. In the event of regular pork consumption, soft connective tissue from the pig replaces the hard cartilage in the body. As a result, the cartilage becomes unable to bear the weight of the body, which in turn leads to joint deficiencies.

Anayurt, 28 April 2009

Pork contains excessive amounts of growth hormone

Excessive amounts of growth hormone ingested through pork leads to tissue swelling and deformations. It can lead to sudden and extreme fat accumulation. People who eat pork generally have a higher risk of obesity. It may lead to abnormal growth of the nose, jaw, hand and feet bones. The most dangerous aspect of excessive growth hormone is that it prepares the way for cancer.

Bugun, 28 April 2009

Eating pork leads to skin diseases

Substances known as “histamine” and “imtidazole” in pork cause excessive itching. They also prepare the way for infectious skin diseases such as eczema, dermatitis and neurodermatitis. These substances also increase the risk of boils, appendicitis, gall bladder diseases and arterial infections. Doctors therefore advise heart patients to avoid eating pork.

Bizimgazete, 28 April 2009

Eating pork spreads trichina

Trichina worms ingested through pork enter the blood stream through the stomach and intestines and spread throughout the body. Trichina worms particularly settle in muscle tissue in the jaw, tongue, neck, throat and chest regions. They lead to paralysis of the chewing, speech and swallowing muscles. They also cause vein obstructions, meningitis and brain infections. Severe cases may even end in death. The most dangerous aspect of the disease is that there is no cure for it. Trichina outbreaks have been observed from time to time in Sweden, Britain and Poland, despite tight veterinary controls.

Aksam, 28 April 2009

Pork is very fatty and contains poisonous substances

Pork is very fatty. When ingested, the fat enters the blood stream and leads to hardening of the arteries, raised blood pressure and coronary infarct. In addition, pork contains a toxin called “Sutoxin.” The lymph glands have to work extra hard in order to expel these toxins from the body. This manifests as swelling of the lymph glands, especially in children. If the disease progresses, all the lymph glands swell up, temperature rises and pain begins.

Ankara habervaktim, 28 April 2009

Sabah, 27 April 2009

These are just a few aspects of the wisdom behind Allah’s making the eating of pork unlawful. Allah is also showing us the wisdom of this prohibition by creating swine flu in the End Times. For a sincere believer, even not knowing why Allah has prohibited anything, his main responsibility is to maintain the bounds set by Him. But with the epidemic over recent days Allah is telling believers of yet another element of that wisdom.